Drainage and relief valve



A. P. HANSEN.

DRAINAGE AND RELIEF VALV E. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20. I919.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

INVENTOR fimmyauaPHwvszw ATTNEY Patentd Nov. 23, 1920.

, A. P. HANSEN. DRAINAGE AND RELIEF VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20, I919.

1 31361113611 Nov. 23, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- III INVENTQOR firm/vows PHANSEN gonna! UNITED-STATES.

, A vmnnus r. HANSEN, or'rzicoivm, wAsHInGT'o DRAINAGE AND RELI F; VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 23, 1920.

Application filed. November 1919. Serial No. 339,402.

ments in Drainage and Relief Valvesgof which the. following is a specification.

My invention relates to cylinder relief valves, and particularly to that class of valves which are used in connection with locomotives, hoisting englnes, pile drivers,

, and similar engines, .wherethesteam'must at timesbe let into the cylinders rapidly and with considerable force.

The object of my invention is to produce a valve of the class described which will not be forced closed nor be locked or held in closed position bya sudden increase in pressure in the steamchest or supply line, and which will act toaccommod-ate and relieve such super-normal pressures.

Another object of my invention is to p ro-' duce a valve of the class described which will at all-times function to drain water of condensation or boiler water from the cylinder and from the steam chest or supply line, notwithstanding the application of pressures above normal in either the steam chest or the cylinder. f

Myinvention comprises the novel parts and combinations of parts which-are shown in'the accompanying drawings, described in the specification, and particularly defined the claims terminating the same. f

In the accompanying drawings I have shown my invention in the forms which are now preferred by me.'

Figure 1 is ,anaxial section through one form of my valve. I r

Fig. 2 is-an axial section through a modified form of my valve. Y

Fig. 3 is an elevation of my valve, a part being shown partially in section- Fig. 1 is a transverse section through my valve.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section through a modified form-of valve.

In locomotives, pile drivers, and similar engines, it is often necessary or desirable to open the. throttle or; the valve controlling the steam supply to] the engine quickly.

In railway locomotives this is often done in order to overcome the inertia of the cars of a train by a, sudden jerk orbump. In

steam chest.

drain ports 2 and piledrivers this is done to; catch the hammer on the rebound, and thus to use theforce of the rebound to again hoist the hammer. Such practice tends to. d-r'awjover from the boiler an amount of boiler lwater,'a'nd' this, combined with the sudden force of the steam ]et, produces an extra highor super-normal pressure in the steam supply line and in the steam chest. i

In the type of relief to use, whieh'has a high-pressure connection to. the steam chest between two. opposed valves which are connectedat their outer sides to their respective cylinder ends at a lower pressure, and which normally close drain openings to a. still lower pressure, the super-,normalp-ressure induced as above d6- 1 scribed tends to.- lock and to hold the opvalve which I. prefer posed valves upon theirseats, and in this V manner to close the drain openingstightly. ,This preventsthe escape of-any of theeX- c-ess pressure through the valve, and pre vents the escape of the water which causes the excess pressure, or which accompani'esit. I It" is to correctathis fault, and to provide means which are operable only under supernormal pressure to relieve the pressure in the steam chest, that my present invention is designed. At the same time, relieving the excess pressure 'inthe steam chest relieves any excess pressure in the cylinder, 1

and opens the drain openings for the r emoval' of any water in the steam chest or cylinder. V

A casing 1 is connected: through the; pipes 10 and the cylinder ports 13 at each end ing 1, between its ends, I provide a high pressure chamber 11, connected to steam" thereof to each end of a steam cylinder, at opposite sides of thepiston. WVithin the cassupply line 12 to theQ-cyli'nder, or to the a parts, asthese form no part of my invention. Drain ports 2 withinthe casingmay .be combined in a drain manifoldfZO, and

drain the waste water to theiatmosphere, or p I V to a lower pressure than the cylinder pres-- sure, through a suitable drain pipe 21.-

Between the cylindersideand the high pressure chamber -11 I provide valves which are adapted toseat at the ends ofthe cylinderbore to closethe the respective, cylinder ports 13. The style of valve used is immaterial. It maybe of the type of-piston valve ports 13 on either I havenot shownthe engine 3, held from its seat by-the spring 33, as.

shown inFig. l, or it may be a ball type valve 30, as shown. in Fig. 2, or any other suitable type of valve. In'either case I'preconnect With the drain'ports 2 in the casing.

There should be sufiicient clearance between the valve and the sleeve 4 to permit drainage from the high pressure chamber past 7 sure chamber 11 to the drain 21.

the valve, when the valve is unseated. In the ball valve type, this isaccomplished by making the sleeve, at least at its inner end, slightly larger in diameter than the ball. In the piston valve type this is accomplished by-forming the valve with a number of small spacer ribs 31 upon its periphery, which hold it spaced from the sleeve. 'Hovvever, in either type of valve there is no drainage past the valve when the valve is seated. 'This may be seen by inspection of Figs. land 2. i

In the valve as described so far, so long as the pressure: in the high pressure chamber upon each valve remains above the pres-: sure exerted by the steam in the cylinder drain pipes. 10;and by the springs 33, the valves will remain seated, and there will be no drainage'from the ports 2. As soon as the pressure in the cylinder, at eitherend,

in addition to the force of the spring 33, ex-

ceeds the pressure in the high pressure chamber 11, the valve will be unseated, and theexcess pressure or the water willdrain from the cylinder ports 13 into the drain ports 2, through the ports 41, and the pressure in the cylinder will again fall below the pressure necessary to open the-valve, that is, to the working pressure in the cylinder. The valve will again seat itself.

While it is open, any water in the high-pres-v v sure chamber 11 may flow or be blown past the ribs 31, or past the ball 30, in the case of thejball type valve, and this chamber is thus drained. i

V In order to prevent amming of the valves upon'their seats, is suddenly applied to the valves, I provide aby-pass leading from the highpres- It 'may be desired to form it, and I preferto form it, asa port 50 which is made as a part of the casing 1, and I prefer to connectit directly with the drain manifold 20. It is obvious that the exact-manner of connecting this by-pass is immaterial. It may be connected in the manner'shovvn in Fig. 5, Wherem the pipe 59 leads from the high connection 58 to the drain pipe 21.

I Within the by-pass 50 I place a valve 5.

p the spring uponits seat by means of aspring 52, acting upon a follower 53 which supports the valve 5. The pressure of the spring may be regulated-by means of a sleeve 54. threaded in the casing, and Which carries the end of V A set nut serves to hold' the threaded sleeve 54. in adjusted position. The valve 5 is normally set sothat it will remain seated for all normal pressures which may obtain in the 'highpressure chamber 11, but When the pressurein this chamher is suddenly raised in the manner above described, this valve will freely open. This permits the excess pressure to escape through the by-pass 50 to the drain manifold 20, and

relieves the'pressure which is forcing the valves 3 and 30 upon their seats. In this manner the valves 3 and 30 may be unseated in the usual manner .to relievcthe cylinder of the excess pressures generated there. t rough the same causes. i As a further safeguardagainst jamming. the valves "upon their seats under excess pressure, I may employ a valve 6 which is placed in the high pressure connection 12" between the steam chest and the high pressure chamberll. -As I have shown this valve it comprises a ball 6resting upon a spring 62-, which normally holds itj spaced from its seat 61. This valve may be formed in a part of the casing 1; The spring'62 should be sufficiently strong to keep the valve unseated until'a pressure ashigh or higher than thatwhich unseats the valve 5 is applied'through the high pressure connection l2. lVhen a pressure Which is a predetermined amount'higher than the supernormal pressure which unseats the valve 5 is applied through the connection 12, the valve 6 seats and remains seated until this excess pressure is; relieved. This excess pressure is relieved by the operationof the pistons in the cylinders of the engine, and when said pressure drops to Working pressure through the operation of the pistons the ball raises, allowing pressure to again enter the pressure chamber 11 of the valve. when an excess pressure The valve 6'is employed principally asa safety device to prevent amming of the relief valve due to a sudden andvery high pressure, Which might not be readily relieved even through the by-pass 50. I might desire to use the valve 6 in connection with the valve 5 or independently of the latter. The valve 5 and the'by-pass 5O may, hoW- ever, be made large enough to take care of any excess pressure which might be applied to the relief valves 3 and 30 andthe use of the valve, 6 might be dispensed with entirely. pressure chamber '11, and connectsby a T tween the cylinder connections,

tween the cylinder connections, adapted to beconnectedto a source of highpressure steam supply, a drain between the high pressure chamber and the cylinder connections normally adapted to close said cylinder connections, and a by-paSs normally closed connecting the high pressure chamber and the drain.

2. In a steam cylinder relief valve, in combination, a casing adapted to be. connected at each end to an end steam supply, a drain having a connection with each end of the casing, between the high pressure chamber and .the cylinder connections normally adapted to close said cylinder connections, a lay-pass J connection from the high pressure chamber to the drain, and a check-valve in said by pass" normally sustaining the pressure within said chamber.

3. In a steam cylinder relief valve, in combination, a casing adapted to be connected at each end to an end of the cylinder,

and having a high pressure chamber beadapted to be connected to a source of hlgh' pressure steam supply, a drain having a connection with each end of the casing,

opposed, valves between the hi h ressure chamber and the cylinder connections normally adapted to close said cylinder connections, a by-pass connection from the high-pressurechamber to the drain, a'spring-pressed valve in said by-pass normally closed to sustain the pressure within said chamber, and means for regulating the eflective closing pressure upon said valve.

In a steam cylinder relief valve, in combination,

nected at each end to anendof the cylinder,

'and having a high-pressure chamber beadapted to,

tween the cylinder connections, be -onnected to a source of hlgh pressure steam supply, a drain having a connection with each end of the casing, opposed valves between the high pressure chamber and the cylinder connections normally adapted to close said cylinder connections, a by-pass connection from the high-pressure chamber to the drain, and a valve in said by-pass normally closed, said valve being adapted to be opened by super-normal high pressure.

5. In a steam cylinder relief valve, in combination, a casing adapted to be connected at each end to an end of the cylinder, and having a high-pressure chamber between the cylinder connections, adapted to having a connection with each end of the casing, opposed valves ofthe cylinder, and having a high pressure chamber b e-Q tween the cylinder connections, adapted to; be connectedto a source of high pressurev opposed valves with each end of the casing a casing adapted to be c0n-- be connected to a source of high pressure steam supply, a drain having a connection with each end :of the casing, opposed valves between'the highpressure chamber and the cylinder connections normally adapted to close said cylinder connections, a bypass connection from the high-pressure chamber to the drain, a valve in said by-pass normallyclosed, saidvalve being adapted to be opened by pressures above normal high pressure, and means for adjusting said valve to regulate the minimum opening pressure.

6. In a steam cylinderrelief valve, in 7 combination, a casing adapted to be con nected at each end to an end of the cylinder,

and having a high-pressure chamber be.

tween the cylinder connections, adapted to be connected to a souroe of high pressure steam supply, a dram having a connectlon' with each end'of the casing, opposed valves between the high pressure chamber and the nected at each end to'an end of the cylinder and having high-pressure chamber between the cylinder connections, adapted to be connected to a source of'high pressure steam supply, a drainhaving a connection opposed valves between thehigh' pressure chamber and the cylinder connections normally adapted to close said cylinder connections, and means for cuttingoff the steam supply operable at super-normal high pressures.

nected ateach end to an end of the cylinder,

and having a high-pressurechamber between the cylinder connections, adapted to be connected to a source of high pressure steam supply, a drain having a connection with each end of the casing, opposed valves. between the high pressure chamber and the cylinder connections normally adapted to close said cylinder connections, anda valve in the high-pressure steam line adapted to close at super-normal high-pressures- Signedat Seattle, King county, Washing" ton, this 12th day of November, 1919.

,AMANDUS P. HANSEN} 8. In a steam cylinder relief "valve, in combination, a casing adapted to be con-: 

